Jason Burgos
A pair of reports is very good news for the Dallas Cowboys‘ chances of landing one of two NFL Draft prospects they are very high on.
We are just a couple of weeks away from this year’s draft, and there has been a lot of speculation about what the Cowboys will do. Due to another losing season and a major trade before the trade deadline, they head into this month’s event with not one, but two picks in the top 20.
After back-to-back seven-win campaigns, getting a pair of elite prospects gives Dallas the chance to address two issues on the roster. However, having two first-rounders also gives them a pair of very nice assets to move up and get a player projected to go in the top 10.
According to ESPN NFL expert Jordan Reid, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. are the players the Cowboys’ brain trust believes are worth giving up multiple draft assets to move up and get. However, new buzz around the game is suggesting the team could land either without a trade.
Caleb Downs trending to fall to the Dallas Cowboys at 12?
In a recent conversation with Blogging the Boys, ESPN draft expert Peter Schrager explained that, despite Downs being one of the best players in this year’s class and having a very high football IQ, the trends from previous years show teams will always pass on a good safety to get a stud cornerback, pass rusher and wide receiver if they have needs at those spots.
In 2022, Kyle Hamilton was supposed to be a top 10 pick and went 14th to the Baltimore Ravens. Four years before that, Derwin James was projected to go in the top 10 and was taken at 18 by the Los Angeles Chargers. And last year, Nick Emmanwori was expected to go in the first round and fell to the second. So Downs falling to the Cowboys at 12 seems very plausible.
Is Rueben Bain Jr. no longer a lock to go in the top 10?
On Friday, fellow ESPN draft expert Field Yates offered up a bold prediction. Bain Jr. will fall out of the top 10. He explained why. “There are some scouts who are skeptical of a team taking an outlier super early. The teams that could take a chance are the New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, and Cincinnati Bengals (Nos. 8-10, respectively), but there’s a chance he’s still there in the teens.”
So, despite all the talk about the Cowboys potentially trading up to get Downs or Bain Jr. in Round 1, there seems to be a growing sentiment that a dream scenario could emerge this month where Dallas can get either and still have another pick in the opening round.
